Sr. Director, Enterprise Quality

PayPal•San Jose, CA

2d•$178,500 - $291,500•Hybrid

About The Position

Reporting to the VP, Head of Operations, Quality & Analytics, the Sr. Director, Enterprise Quality will establish and lead PayPal’s new enterprise-wide quality function. Today, quality is managed inconsistently across the company – standards differ from team to team, issues surface late, and feedback loops are broken. The Sr. Director changes that: defining the operating model, standards, and governance that make quality an enterprise discipline, and building the team and culture to embed it across Product, Engineering, Design, Risk, Servicing, and Go-to-Market. The Sr. Director convenes the Enterprise Quality Council, keeps the customer experience central to product and investment decisions, and builds a lean central team and a network of embedded owners, Quality Stewards, and champions across the business units and functions. It is fundamentally an influence role: the function succeeds through clarity, shared standards, and executive sponsorship rather than direct authority over business-unit roadmaps. Success will be measured by whether quality becomes clear, consistent, and owned – common standards and frameworks that teams genuinely adopt, products that are ready before they ship, systemic issues resolved at the root, and a measurable improvement in the customer experience. The ideal candidate is a strategic and influence-driven leader who can stand up an enterprise capability from the ground up, earn the trust of senior leaders across the business units and enabling functions, build and develop a high-performing team and talent, and institutionalize a quality-first culture and best practices across the enterprise.

Requirements

12+ years relevant experience and a Bachelor’s degree OR Any equivalent combination of education and experience.
15+ years of progressive experience in product, product operations, quality, business operations, program or portfolio management, corporate strategy, or risk and controls, including building enterprise capabilities and leading complex global initiatives.
Proven experience standing up enterprise operating models and governance frameworks, and leading large-scale transformation and change – new standards, processes, reporting systems, and ways of working that improve execution, quality, and accountability.
Deep customer-centric product instincts, with the ability to define what quality means across reliability, performance, usability, trust, and launch readiness.
Experience partnering with Product, Design, and Engineering organizations to deliver complex digital products and technology-enabled initiatives.
Trusted advisor to ELT-level leaders – able to build relationships, influence without direct authority, resolve competing priorities, and provide clear, well-reasoned recommendations across highly matrixed organizations.
Exceptional executive communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information into clear narratives, recommendations, and decision-ready materials for senior leadership and board-level audiences.
Strong structured problem-solving and analytical skills, with the ability to diagnose complex enterprise challenges, use data to inform decisions, and mobilize cross-functional teams around solutions.
Deep knowledge of quality and continuous-improvement practices (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma) and the metrics and tooling that make quality measurable and visible.

Nice To Haves

Experience applying AI and automation to operational or reporting workflows (preferred).
Experience in payments, fintech, or another regulated industry, and demonstrated learning agility with the ability to execute with urgency (preferred).
Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Operations, or a related technical or management field; a quality discipline (e.g., Quality Management, Assurance, or Engineering) a plus; MBA or Master’s (preferred).

Responsibilities

Lead the strategic design, analysis, and continuous improvement of business processes to enhance operational effectiveness and efficiency across the organization
Oversee and eliminate inefficiencies, streamlining workflows to achieve significant cost reductions and productivity gains
Ensure robust governance and compliance with organizational standards and regulatory requirements in all process improvement initiatives
Leverage Six Sigma or Lean methodologies to spearhead process improvement projects, delivering measurable and impactful results
Serve as a subject matter expert and internal coach, guiding and mentoring teams in identifying and implementing innovative process improvement solutions
Collaborate with cross-functional leadership teams to align business processes with the organization's strategic goals and priorities
Influence and implement comprehensive performance management systems to monitor, evaluate, and enhance the effectiveness of business processes
Manage regular process audits and assessments to identify opportunities for improvement and ensure continuous optimization
Foster a culture of continuous improvement by promoting best practices and encouraging innovation throughout the organization
Prepare and present detailed reports and strategic recommendations to senior leadership on process improvement initiatives and their impact on business performance
Establish and lead PayPal’s enterprise quality capability – the operating model, standards, governance, and continuous-improvement programs – across the enterprise.
Define the enterprise standard for quality – a common definition of “good,” with the expectations and ways of working that embed it into how products are built, launched, and operated.
Establish and run enterprise quality governance – the Enterprise Quality Council, launch-readiness expectations, escalation paths, and the decision rights that align quality across the enterprise.
Define the enterprise quality metrics and reporting, giving senior leadership a clear view of quality and where to focus.
Drive adoption and adherence through enablement – training, playbooks, and a network of Quality Stewards and champions – rather than mandates.
Build strong partnerships and clear ways of working with the business units, partner teams, and enabling functions so accountability is unambiguous.
Build and lead a lean central team and the broader network of embedded owners and champions; secure executive sponsorship and investment.
Coach and develop talent, lead the shift to a quality-first culture, and institutionalize best practices and an accountable, results-oriented way of working.